Current News From BoatUS

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 31, 2015 – For recreational boaters, the waterway signposts known as aids to navigation are critical for a safe journey. But what if an aid to navigation (ATON) such as a floating buoy marking the edge a deep-water channel could only be seen on an electronic screen and not by the naked eye? Will recreational boaters benefit from these new “eATONs”? That’s …

ALEXANDRIA, VA, July 28, 2015 – Visiting boaters, whether staying over for just one night or a couple weeks, offers real economic benefits and adds to the vitality of waterfront communities, marinas and boat clubs. But laying out the welcome mat can be challenging. Transient boat docks that are protected and safe for overnight tie-ups, deep-water channels, restrooms, and pumpouts – just …

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 22, 2015 – So you think you know everything about boats? Here’s a challenge for any armchair boat mechanic, “boat techie,” or anyone with an interest in staying safe on the water and preventing their own boating mishap or breakdown.
This photo is provided by Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) Seaworthy Magazine, a publication that BoatUS …

LAKE TILLERY, NC, July 21, 2015 -- Capt. Scott Roberson, the co-owner of TowBoatUS Lake Tillery, an on water towing and assistance service for recreational boaters, has spent most of his life delivering large yachts and helping boaters in ocean waters. Now his focus is on a 13-mile-long lake in the Uwharrie Lakes region of North Carolina, and he couldn’t be happier with the transition.
Roberson …

GREAT KILLS, NY, July 21, 2015 - After first being broadsided and demolished by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and then hitting a formidable wall of government bureaucracy, the future of Staten Island’s Nichol’s Great Kills Marina wasn’t always assured. But through the dedicated grassroots efforts of boaters, eager elected officials, a forward thinking marina operator, and a renewed partnership …

THE ISSUE: The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is the 2005 federal law that requires the blending of biofuels such as corn-ethanol into our gasoline. When it was written, it assumed that America’s use of gasoline would continue to rise and mandated escalating amounts of biofuels to be blended with our fuel. Since 2005, however, gasoline usage has actually declined steadily, which today forces …

ANNAPOLIS, Md., July 13, 2015 – Interested in establishing a life jacket loaner program in your local boating community but don’t know where to start? Does your club or business currently offer a life jacket loaner program but want to promote it more effectively with high quality materials? With a range of new free and low-cost materials available, the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety …

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 8, 2015 – They are the lasting workhorse of many a cruising or sailing vessel, the inboard diesel engine. Some say they have a reputation for being finicky while others swear by their never-ending reliability. Either side you choose, there are two common chores that the owners of diesel engine boats need to be able to easily perform. Changing a diesel fuel filter and bleeding …

ANNAPOLIS, MD, July 6, 2015 – If you put 10 boaters in a room with a working marine VHF radio, how many could call for help, call a friend, or share a navigational hazard with nearby boaters? Chances are the most important piece of safety gear aboard a boat is the least understood. A partnership with the US Power Squadrons and BoatUS Foundation aims to improve boaters’ knowledge with the …

HIGH ROCK LAKE, NC, June 30, 2015 -- Capt. Lee Sykes has been helping North Carolina boaters get home safely since he opened his first TowBoatUS business in Beaufort, NC in 2010. This spring he brought TowBoatUS, an on water towing and assistance service for recreational boaters, to High Rock Lake. It is his eighth TowBoatUS port and his sixth on a North Carolina lake.
His business keeps growing, …